Bid prepared: Spurs could replace Kane by landing £40m “lion” who’d revive Maddison

Ange Postecoglou must make the correct decisions in the transfer market this summer.

Tottenham midfielder James Maddison
Tottenham Hotspur’s inconsistency prevented them from finishing in the top four during Ange Postecoglou’s first season in charge.

However, the Australian has established his term on solid ground, and if more progress can be achieved next season, this is building up to be an exciting time.

Injuries were a prominent but underlying trend of Spurs’ 2023/24 season, in which they finished fifth in the Premier League, but it is true that Postecoglou’s effort to make his vision work with some of the players available was akin to fitting square pegs in round holes.

Harry Kane represents Bayern Munich.
Tottenham are seeking for a centre-midfielder – Conor Gallagher is still being courted – but they also need a new attacker to follow Harry Kane, who joined Bayern Munich for an initial £82 million last summer. Now, that goal is taking priority.

Spurs are ready to bid for Kane’s replacement

According to Football Transfers, Tottenham are planning to make an official £40 million approach for Brentford striker Ivan Toney.

Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United were all put off acquiring the England international in January when Thomas Frank’s team placed a £100 million price tag on their star, but Toney has since reiterated his desire to depart, and it’s likely he’ll get his wish in the coming months.

Spurs, on the other hand, look to have taken the initiative, and they will hope that their empty post at the top of Postecoglou’s system will persuade Toney to make the cross-London move.

Imagine Ivan Toney & James Madison
Welcoming Toney to Tottenham instantly accentuates one theme: the 28-year-old might be the guy to restore James Maddison’s form, which had Lilywhites ecstatic in the early months of the 2023/24 season.

Maddison, who joined from Leicester City for £40 million last summer, was named the Premier League’s Player of the Month for August after providing two assists against Brentford on his debut and acting as a link between midfield and the front line.

But, as we all know and Maddison knows, after being dismissed from Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions selection for the 2024 European Championship, a devastating ankle injury sustained in November has thrown him off balance ever since.

Nonetheless, he’s an excellent playmaker, ranking among the top 3% of offensive midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for assists over the previous year, the top 2% for passes attempted, and the top 1% for shot-creating actions and progressive passes per 90, according to FBref.

Imagine the collaboration that might result from having Toney as the primary frontman. Heung-min Son is an excellent finisher and one of the Premier League’s best attackers, although he is not a true striker in the classic sense. He is not Harry Kane.

Toney, on the other hand, is a more traditional alternative, with the additional benefit of a contemporary skill set that includes inventiveness and link-up skills, as well as a mentality that has earned Toney the nickname “the mindset of a lion” by Frank.

The Bees striker returned from an eight-month ban in January and scored four goals in his first five Premier League games of the season, but he faded into obscurity and has not to score in 12 games, while assisting twice.

Still, he is an excellent finisher, netting 20 goals from 33 top-flight matches last season, and in a more creative atmosphere at Tottenham, he could just regain his shooting boots, bringing Maddison back to the

Read Also: Robbie Keane linked with return to Premier League in coaching role with Tottenham

Read Also: Mauricio Pochettino only signed Tanguy Ndombele because Tottenham couldnt get £65m midfielder

Read Also: £320m Tottenham deal hangs in balance amid landmark off-pitch update from the US